Wednesday, 17 June 2015

SMALL SPACES - CLEVER WAYS TO KEEP YOUR HOME TIDY - THE ART OF 'STUFFOCATION'

In a hard-working home it is a constant struggle to keep things tidy. However hard you try there never seems enough space to put things.Or to give your stuff a place in which it belongs.. and more importantly - stays.You could try living minimally and there are a few who manage it but for the majority of us it is a step too far not to gather stuff and then more stuff until our homes are brimming with it.We expect more and more from our homes, filling them daily with the stuff of life and so we need to utilise every single little corner to store and we need to store wisely.

Here the depth of a

partition wall has been

used for magazine storage;

handy near the seating area

Our storage needs to be useable and obvious. By which I mean store your stuff where it makes life easy for you... shoes by the door where you come in; boots by the back door where the kids need them for going out; pegs in the hall for coats to grab on the way out and leave on the way in and so on... think about how you live your life and use your space.Look at every corner of your home. Is there an awkward space that could be used for storage? Then use it...what could be stored there?These storage solutions don't have to be super-expensive. You may already have an item of furniture that would fit neatly into a space. Measure and try.You could also ask about and find a local handy person who could build you something to fit. This can be a relatively inexpensive

Here office storage has been
built using MDF. This can
be sealed and painted to provide
a robust unit.

MDF painted item or a full-out machine made item made to your specification. Use your imagination and look out for something to up-cycle. If you lack confidence there are many up-cycling courses to get you started.If you don't feel confident to do this; feel you are drowning in your stuff or simply lack the time; then ask an expert to come and look and make suggestions. Ask friends and go on recommendation. Don't let your stuff overwhelm you or your home. Choose your stuff wisely and remember to have only things in your home that you love. If you don't love it recycle it... there will be someone out there who will love what you can't.Once you have edited you are ready to store creatively...HAPPY STORING

Bespoke your storage with a unit that is built to fit your stuff. A ceiling height unit like this can suit all your storage needs, whilst providing also providing a stylish divider between seating and dining areas in this open plan space.Keeping the height of the unit just off ceiling height keeps this large unit in proportion to the room and prevents it 'falling in' on the home owner by providing depth. A string of fairy lights concealed on the ledge between unit and ceiling provides ambient lighting at night. The dark colour cosies up the seating area and underlines the unit as partition, whilst spotlighting it as an item of furniture.It is also a great backdrop for displaying your stuff... don't be scared of using a striking colour. A pop of colour would work well as more of a statement. Think of the impact at night as well as during the day...have fun with it and be brave!

This otherwise overlooked space

by the front door has been

utilised to provide a shoe storage

box. It also serves as a

useful seat to use whilst

removing and putting on footwear.

Again, the shoebox has been treated

as a separate item of furniture. You

could blend it in by painting it the

same colour as the surrounding walls

and skirting.

A practical lift-up lid istopped with a decorativefoam pad and self-piped coverin a dark patterned fabricto stand up to wear and tear.Remember to keep any cushionlight-weight so as not tomake opening and closing theshoebox impractical.

In this utility rooma slim space where thereis a change in wall depthhas been used to createa cupboard.

On the right a shallowdepth is perfect forstorage of smaller itemsreadily accesiible onshelving.

This slim section canbe packed full of stuffusing simple clips whichare readily available inhardware stores and justscrew in to the backplateof this cupboard.